As we walked up to the main building for registration we were greeted by a fun row of colorful pinwheels and a ladybug light lined roof adorned with those fun party banners with the little pointed flags. We entered the lobby to a 1950's diner setting where we signed in, made fun, polka-dot themed name tags, crafted a picture frame, and entered our names into drawings for the opportunity to win prizes.
Upon entering the main auditorium we found ourselves in the audience of the set of a 1950's home complete with beautiful turquoise-blue kitchen appliances, old school black and white checker board flooring, and the type of sewing machine my grandmother used to use. We chose our matching aprons and posed for a picture. The stage had been set for the weekend very effectively.
As things unfolded we learned about the value of being a woman in today's family. The mother and daughter speakers did a wonderful job of teaching about tradition and how the Jews celebrate various things throughout the year. Their personal experiences were insightful and refreshing, and they did a wonderful job appealing to the vast age range of participants. We were in the company of daughters, granddaughters, mothers, sisters, and grandmothers. It was a beautiful mix of women and future women.
The big topic of discussion was tradition, and this is a subject dear to my hear. I long for tradition and so regret that I've not done a better job of instilling the importance of tradition within my children. Guess it's time to work on the next generation. We are carrying on some traditions of old and creating some new ones within our family. Since we get to participate in a round two of parenting, there's no better time for us to learn from the past.
Current Traditions in Our Family -
Special Birthday Meals and Dessert
One on One Lunch Out with Mom on Birthday - Kid's Choice
First Day of School Photo Shoot
Annual 4-H Fair Dollar Day
New Year's Eve Indian Fry Bread Tacos with Friends
Christmas Eve Music Service with Mom and Looking at Lights
A Whole Month Break from School for December
Sledding and Hot Cocoa in the Winter
Lighting Candles for Sabbath in the Winter Months
Christmas Dinner with Mom
Nacho Bar, Taco Soup, and Tres Leche Cake with the Family for Christmas
Make Ornaments for the Grandkids
Read Stories at Bedtime
Traditions I'd Like to Add -
Annual Family Campout at Our House
Annual Family Vacation
Jesus Tree
Tamales Christmas Eve
Thankful Tree or Thankful Box at Thanksgiving
Special Plate for Birthday Meals
Celebrate Baptism or Baby Dedication Day
Decorating a Tree for Wildlife in the Winter
Last Day of School Pictures
Visit a Tree Farm for Christmas
Attend a Local Fall Festival
Friday Night Supper - same each week
Family Night - popcorn and a movie or game
Annual Photo Book - view on New Year's Eve
Make Resurrection Cookies for Easter
Some of the benefits of family traditions include fostering a stronger family connection, providing a feeling of security to the children, fostering a sense of belonging, imparting and reinforcing values, and helping children to become happy and generous adults.
3 comments:
Those are fun traditions! We have a few: We always have a family halloween party where we play games and have fun snacks. We also have traditions for our first day of school like new pj's, making our own tie-dye shirts, and eating cake for breakfast. Another fun tradition we have is making homemade pizza and having family time on Saturday night.
Great memories are built upon traditions! I like your list. One of our favourites is a breakfast barbecue on the beach in the summer.
That sounds like a beautiful retreat! What a blessing!
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